A new video update from the Overwatch League today revealed that the start of the 2022 season in the East is being delayed by two weeks due to a rise in COVID cases.
The Eastern region’s games will now begin on May 20, but all 21 matches will still be played across two weekends instead of one. The schedule remains unchanged outside of the first few weeks, however, so there should be little disruption as of now.
“Given the rapidly changing COVID conditions, we’re exploring the best avenues for global competitions this year with the goal of returning to LAN events,” said Sean Mills, head of the league. “Depending on what’s possible, safety and fair competition are always going to remain our top priorities as we look to build the most exciting thing we can do.”
In the West, meanwhile, the league revealed that the Kickoff Clash will be held in Dallas and the Summer Showdown will take place in Toronto. This marks the first time a live OWL event will take place in Canada.
In some further exciting news, Mills revealed that drops will be returning for the season on YouTube Gaming, including OWL Tokens, OWL skins, sprays, and double tokens. More information about the drops can be found on the OWL website.
The 2022 Overwatch League season will begin on May 5.
